ANATOMY

Detailed explanation-1: -Similarities in embryos are likely to be evidence of common ancestry. All vertebrate embryos, for example, have gill slits and tails.

Detailed explanation-2: -Embryos of different species can have similarities that are not visible when the organisms are fully formed. Many of these similarities are homologous features. These features provide evidence that the species are related through evolution.

Detailed explanation-3: -Embryology is important to understanding a species’ evolution, since some homologous structures can be seen only in embryo development. For example, all vertebrate embryos, from humans to chickens to fish, have a tail during early development, even if that tail does not appear in the fully developed organism.

Detailed explanation-4: -Medical embryology is used widely to detect abnormalities before birth. 2-5% of babies are born with an observable abnormality and medical embryology explores the different ways and stages that these abnormalities appear in. Genetically derived abnormalities are referred to as malformations.